Of course, a massive disclaimer to the above statement is that much depends on the opponents put in front of you, and no other coach has had as tough a start as Brazil, Poland and Kenya away, and the African champions in Zambia at home.

Only perhaps the much-maligned Philippe Troussier could lay claim to coming close.

Igesund has two wins and three defeats in his opening five games, with only former coaches Joel Santana, Screamer Tshabalala, Styles Phumo and Troussier faring worse.

The coach with the best record is Shakes Mashaba, who took three spells as coach to complete five games, having been caretaker in 1992 and 2001 before being given the reins full time in 2002.

He recorded four wins and a draw in that time, with matches against Congo (1-0), Mozambique (3-0), Swaziland (4-1), Cote d'Ivoire (0-0) and Malawi (3-1).

Trott Moloto has the same record, though he sits behind Mashaba on goal-difference in our mini-league. His first five games from October 1998 were Angola (1-0), Egypt (2-1), Mauritius (1-1), Botswana (2-1) and Gabon (4-1).

It would be wrong to deny these coaches their place at the top of the table, but the level of the opposition faced at that time should be taken into account. They will, rightly so, point out that you can only play who is put in front of you.

Carlos Queiroz is third on the list with three wins and two draws, including a 0-0 stalemate with then world and European champions France.

The other coaches to get three wins in their first five games were Carlos Alberto Parreira, Clive Barker and Stuart Baxter.

Quite clearly the worst record belongs to the temestious Frenchman Troussier, whose first five games included no wins. In fact, he would not record a victory in any of his six games at the helm, which included the 1998 Fifa World Cup.

His run of matches included Zambia (1-1), Argentina (0-2), Iceland (1-1), France (0-3) and Denmark (1-1).

Previous comments on this story...

Guys i think we have complained and its enough, lets come with solutions now.

what do we want Gordon The white messiah to do.
*******************

It will depend on what we want right now. If we want to build then we can forget about winning the Afcon and use it as a platform to introduce our young players to the big stage and mould them for 2014.

If we want a quick fix then still we can do it. We have good enough talent here laMzanzi but we are not using it properly. We are not eploring our strengths and all this we can do without the White messiah.

The last 7 or so minutes of yesterday's game showed what a well moulded Mzanzi team can do. We have young physique just like the Spaniard, but still we want to play long balls. Yesterday the likes abo Yeye and Teko tried some one twos and that what we can do.

Just imagine Jali and Yeye in the midle. Yeye can drop back and help in defence and we all know Jali can rule the midfield alone. Then have players like Teko, Thulani who can play those quick one twos supporting quick strikers like Tokelo, Rantie, Majoro and Parker.

You have guys like Manyisa who can offer you the team shape. The likes abo Thami and George can offer Jali backup. These boys knows how to protect their defence and in process initiating attacks.

mudzananirv

posted: 11:13 am

You guys have started crucifying the Coach now, why are you always like this?? we will not improve our soccer standard because of putting the preasure on the coach now and then.... GI got a chance to coach the team very late, why didnt SAFA give him a chance immidiatly when Pitso failed us to go to the AFCON?? by now GI would hav a team if he was given a chance by that time, on the other side injuries are hunting him big time.... he discovered good (White) players who as far as I am concerned are the only good players we have in the team, Chabangu,Parker,Khune and those white guys are the only good players we had yestday........... I blame SAFA not GI, after not qualifying AFCON they still alowed Pitso to be incharge that was nonsense, GI is a great coach who only need time to make a team and we will qualify World cup once you has a team

Milutin Sredojević (HLABARINTO)

posted: 11:13 am

Kickoff your article offers nothing,,,

Double Treble Champ-Marapo

posted: 11:14 am

We don't need useless tractors like nabo KG or Foolman. We need to have a system that allows us to spend most of the time in the opponents' half simple coz of small stature. We need quick defenders like Matlabas of this world who can block teams from countering us.

With the White messiah and his Mashegos(a pirate reject), Phala(a chimp reject), Chabangu(a Dununu reject) we are not going anywhere. A defender, a captain shiboboed and tsamayaed by a fat Mbesuma ao banna.

De Bruin!!!

posted: 11:17 am

Its gon get worse if he continues to ignore people with ze winning mentality.
Zambia have Chansa and Ntofo, we got relegation candidates and tortoises.

This is not on, "this incopetancy will make us do what some yellow hooligans are doing ko PTA"

TREBLE CHAMP KING

posted: 11:18 am

Double Treble Champ-Marapo: u supriced me when stil wanting to use the players who have failed us dismally on several occasions.

Marapo - Serame Lestwako is our biggest problem, what is his role in the BB set up. He had a crop of players at national under 20 but he is mum about them.

Maluleka,Serero,Jali,Viera,Mokotjo,Ndulula etc played together in the under 20/23 and did well, lost in the semis of a Fifa tournament.

Mgugudi: The Treble Addict

posted: 11:18 am

KO, the deference between GI & Trouser's record is that the former is involved in friendlies while the former was playing competitive games in the WC. So the stats you have provided offer us nothing nor offer a balanced critique.

Ez'kamagebhula*

posted: 11:20 am

Its so clear the man hasn't brought any difference & it is because of all the players that are relying on two Tertoises for results and thinking their tortoises will bail them out in the national team. Angifuni nokubona next year January if he selects all chiefs cows he must ask them nicely to bring along bath' abobani Gloria no Sunrise(tortoises names)

Double Treble Champ-Marapo

posted: 11:22 am

Oh before i forget, we also need players that will have the nation's pride at heart. Players that will sing the national anthem with pride, players that will cry when the nation is losing, players that will play with injuries, players that will risk everything, soldiers, players that can take out their chest and show that they fear no one.

JS-KC4Life

posted: 11:22 am

What i just noticed yst is that we lack some personalities! Of the players who started, none brings fear to the opposition (neva mind uglyness). Yst i realised that we need those 3 players for their personality, Shabba, Benni & Mphela. We need somebody to dictate the midfield & in the past few seasons non has done better than Jali, i like the boy's arrogance in his play not in him. With all the play, SA lacks the cutting edge " The decisiveness/ruthlessness in the final third".

TMG 2009

posted: 11:24 am

GI needs to talk to local coaches to play our skillful and quality players, i mean DOWNS has those in abundance KEKANA; JABU; KILLER; TEKO; THAMI and more of these players from other teams also...we cant be subjected to useless EUROPEAN based players who cant do the basics and lose possession like ladies of the night high on nyaope!!! we dont need CHABANGU; PHALA; MASHEGO; NUNEZ; FURMAN; NDLOVU and most of those overseas players we have JALI; MALULEKA; ERASMUS; CLASSEN etc...

players where just thrown in last night without any purpose...why keep on playing with 2 defensive players in FURMAN & KG and have limited options going forward? CHABANGU is not better than YEYE or TEKO like @ MOTHUSI say lets just use our strengths not try and immitated others, we previously failed on world stages b'cos of the same thing...we should just use our skill that we have in abundance even BRAZIL knows that then we can go somewhere!!! KHUMALO is also good captain at team level but not national level and he makes school boys mistakes...just hope the coming friendlies GI could select the team he prefers and work on that instead of changing the team with every game with the exception of those players who were injuried during last night's game and the one's we know they are good...u cant build ur team around CHABANGU he can come in as a sub but not to build a team around him!!! Why call KEET all the way from EUROPE and bench him? u've played KHUNE and u know what he can and cannot do but u still play him ahead of other players that u'ver never seen!!!!!

TREBLE CHAMP KING

posted: 11:28 am

mudzananirv: u are missing the point, there is no time to be given at national level, thats why we have club coaches and national coaches eg Ferguson, Jose Morhino are club coaches n u have Erickson,Guus, Bruno who are national teams experts.

The approach at national level is not the same as club level, there is no time to develop n nurture things, i think this is where SA is loosing it or missing the point.

at inter level, we need a project manager expert, some who knows how to copy and paste - not an essay typist. Gordon is a club material who was pressured by the public, espicially Chiefs fans to take over BB. He is bound to fail because he is dis-honest to himself.

I told a lot of people that Ruud Kroll assisted by Kompela n Farouk Khan would have been a solution.

Milutin Sredojević (HLABARINTO)

posted: 11:28 am

Dikgacoi + Furman = no creativity, no killer passes and no pace,,, I am one of the few people who agrees that a combination of Jali and Yeye can do wonders for BB but unfortunately our coaches fail to notice that...

Glorified Sendino

posted: 11:29 am

I think what Neeskens said about his players.....is exactly what Bafana coaches have been doing...'fear of losing'...i agree with the post of 'Double Treble Champ-Marapo' @11:04 am....if can review the games plyed last night ..many teams had young players....Zambia a 17 yr old, England a 17yr old, Spain, 18yr olds, Germans, 18yrs olds.....we cant expect players in the late 20s who have never played in the junior national teams or African club competitions to perform at Bafana level....

Double Treble Champ-Marapo

posted: 11:30 am

TREBLE CHAMP KING ....i included those failures when i was addressing the issue of a quick fix. We are left with one month before the Afcons, so we can still do with some of those failures and compete. I selected those failures coz i know with proper system they can prosper.

When it comes to building a team for the future then we can't have those failures.

Truelly speaking, the problem is the system we have to employ. For example, yesterday Gordon employed a 2 defensive midfield system and when Zambia was leading and he was desperate for a draw, he took all of them and introduced offensive players. That on its own showed there was no system in place, he applies a waite and hope system. He nearly took out all the defenders including the keeper and introducing offensive players.

Players were coaching themselves, everyone trying to do what he thinks he know better instead of doing what can complement a system better.

TREBLE CHAMP KING

posted: 11:34 am

and this F *cken GI says we are 80% ready, what the F.

His name is Andile The Lion KING Jali and he has a partner name The Rocket Scientis ACE Manyisa, together they are untouchable.

Jali single handedly dealt with Shikabala (Egypt star player number 10), the boy bulldozed the Egyptians n went on to bulldoze Niger. What do want from this man. Pitso n Perreira could not even face him, they had to lie about his heart.

Milutin Sredojević (HLABARINTO)

posted: 11:35 am

TREBLE CHAMP KING posted: 11:28 am | Report
mudzananirv: u are missing the point, there is no time to be given at national level, thats why we have club coaches and national coaches eg Ferguson, Jose Morhino are club coaches n u have Erickson,Guus, Bruno who are national teams experts.

The approach at national level is not the same as club level, there is no time to develop n nurture things, i think this is where SA is loosing it or missing the point.

at inter level, we need a project manager expert, some who knows how to copy and paste - not an essay typist. Gordon is a club material who was pressured by the public, espicially Chiefs fans to take over BB. He is bound to fail because he is dis-honest to himself.

I told a lot of people that Ruud Kroll assisted by Kompela n Farouk Khan would have been a solution.
========================================
You are contradicting yourself buccaneer, when did Krol start being a national team coach???
Do you have any proof that KCFC fans pressurized GI to takeover the BB reigns?

1) Gordon is a club material who was pressured by the public, espicially Chiefs fans to take over BB
2) I told a lot of people that Ruud Kroll assisted by Kompela n Farouk Khan would have been a solution.

Anonymous

posted: 11:37 am

you know even if we can put Jali since to me is the only deserving player to be called,worse still to come,

like it or not,we going down evry day,atleast Pitso had a vision and then wat happened the same pierates fans asked for his blood,

peinar,shabba,teko,serero,jali, are still our best if we want to do something,
i mean calling chabangu,nthete,thuso phala,is just an insult to us,

it happened in 1997-8 as well when the same Pie-lerete fans campained that doctor khumalo and phil masinga should be droped for thier jerry skhosana and brendon silent,and clive tried to acommodate them and we played here at home with home advantage and failed to even score a goal,

then the return leg he ignored these pierats fans and called them himslef,and wat happened the same players scored our goals doctor creating one and scoring one,AND WE WENT TO FRANCE ,

this thing of form is nonses,the should haves a backbone then add 1 or 2 who are on form,

i mean mashego's form doen't make him better than majoro,maqele,even fantein is more of a players than 5 games wonder,

Double Treble Champ-Marapo

posted: 11:39 am

TMG 2009

Truely speaking, both Foolman and KiloGram are not mobile. They sometimes confuse defenders coz they sit deep infront of defenders allowing opponents to come at them. A player like Jali runs the whole field but it not easy to see the gaps he leaves behind. This allows defenders to also do their job which is defending.

Now playing these two players and then Chabangu, this simply means you want Chabangu to play wide on the wings but he don't have pace.

Having Yeye and Jali will help link attack with defence.

Zane10

posted: 11:39 am

I don't remember GI winning a cup competition with a club. Maybe I didn't do my homework well, but GI only won leagues with his teams... There is no League when it comes to coaching a country, I agree GI is a club coach.

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